Thursday

When
headphones entered our lives, probably nobody was thinking about their
disadvantages and all the negative consequences of their use on our hearing.
People could finally shut out the noisy outside world even while standing in
the middle of it. They could dive into the world of their own thoughts without
other people bothering them. They could listen to anything they wanted and
nobody knew what they were listening to. This made people very happy.

However,
as the headphone popularity grew, the manufacturers started their mass
production. The mass production made the consequences of excessive headphone
use more obvious and that’s when the doctors and journalists started advising
people to be more careful when using headphones because they could damage their
hearing.

Sadly,
by then, headphones were so popular that even very young children were using
them. This happened because children find wearing headphones interesting and
parents consider it great solution whenever they have to do something important
that requires the kids to be quiet. Truth to be told, headphones are great for
situations like long-distance trips, especially if you have to drive with your
kids constantly talking, laughing, asking questions or fighting. The
manufacturers started making so-called children’s headphones in different
colors and with different prints that amaze kids. Many of these headphones have
limited loudness to the level that won’t hurt children’s ears.

How Children’s Headphones Affect Your Child’s Hearing?

The
point is that the name “children’s headphones” doesn’t guarantee the headphones will be better for your
child. You can find so many products on the market that have been produced and
sold for years in enormous quantities. They aren’t good for us but they are
still being sold. Not only headphones, there are bad food, drinks, etc. The
manufacturers have only one goal – to make as much money as possible. And even
more. You have to accept the fact that they don’t care. They would write
anything on the package in order to get more customers.

This
kind of headphones is supposed to be safer for wearing because the
manufacturers are supposed to limit the volume. If regular headphones can
deliver 120 dB sound, children’s headphones should be limited to 85 decibels
max, or even quieter. Many parents buy these headphones hoping that they will
protect their children. However, they don’t test them or they don’t even know
how to do that and they don’t actually know if the headphones are too loud or
not.

A
group of scientists has tested children’s headphones made by different
manufacturers. Sadly, half of the tested headphones were louder than they were
supposed to be. This means that the headphones that can actually damage your
child’s hearing are being sold without any limitations and this is why you
should be very careful when buying them.

The
problem lies in the fact that these headphones can cause the same problems as
the regular ones. If the volume is not limited and they are used constantly and
for long periods of time without breaks, your child can get some kind of ear
infection, the earwax will start to pile up in his/her ears, and you may even
notice the first signs of hearing loss.

Ear infections are the least problematic of all the previously mentioned. The
infections or excessive accumulation of earwax are usually caused by prolonged
wearing of headphones. Even wearing headphones for several hours can cause
these problems because your ears and your skin can’t really breathe under the
headphones. Other problems are more serious.

One
of the forms of damaged hearing is tinnitus or, as some people call it,
“buzzing in ears”. Researches have shown that tinnitus is more common than we
could ever imagine. Tinnitus can’t be cured, only treated (just like any form
of hearing loss) and it can affect your child’s mood, ability to sleep
peacefully, to play with peers, etc. If they are too young, they might not even
be able to explain the problem they have and that’s why we think it’s important
to learn how to recognize the first signs of the problem.

How Can We Recognize the First Signs of Hearing Loss?

When
adults are considered, it is much easier to recognize the first signs of
hearing loss. When it comes to children, things get more complicated,
especially if we speak about very young children. The thing is, they don’t know
how to explain what’s bothering them because they don’t know what’s wrong. They
will probably try to signalize something is wrong but you have to understand
what’s the problem. Here are some of the most common signs of hearing problems
that your child might manifest.

If you notice that your child is turning the volume up
every time you’re watching TV or listening to music together, you should
take the kid to the doctor and check it out.

If you start getting the impression that your child is
getting worse at following your directions or the directions his teacher
or friends give him, it is also better to see a doctor than wait for it to
get worse.

If you start getting the impression that your child is
asking you to repeat your questions too often, take it to the doctor and
run some tests. In the beginning, it may look like your kid is ignoring
you but if it keeps happening, it most surely isn't just his/her temper.

If
your child starts complaining about some weird noises in his head and ears
and comparing them with buzzing animals, wind blowing, whistling, etc.
don't panic because it doesn't mean your child is crazy. It can be
tinnitus. It is easier to notice it than the previously mentioned signs
because the child would most certainly complain about the noise in the head,
it will be more nervous and easily get irritated. You just have to read
between the lines and see the real problem before it gets worse.

How Can We Help Our Children to Have Fun and Stay Healthy?

One
of the main points of this article is that hearing problems can’t be cured. You can try to treat them but they will still be
there. Once it gets damaged, it stays damaged and that’s the fact.

What
you can do is to prevent the whole thing by taking care of your health and
avoid giving headphones to your children whenever it is possible. When they
really have to use them, you can do the following things in order to lower the
risk of hearing damage.

Listening
to music at moderate volumes

One
of the two crucial things you can do to avoid hearing problems is to lower the
volume down. Experts would always recommend listening to music at maximum 60% volume. If you think this is too quiet, try this -
whenever you aren’t sure about the loudness of your music, ask a person next to
you if the music can be heard. If the person can hear the music, lower the
volume down because if someone else can hear it, it is already too loud. The
percentage of music leaked through the headphones depends on the type of
headphones but this rule can still be applied.

Taking
the headphones off periodically

The
second important thing is to take the headphones off from time to time because
taking a break will mean a lot to your skin and to your ears. By taking breaks
you let your skin breathe, avoid earwax piling up, lower the risk of infections
and save your inner ear from getting damaged.

Apart
from this, you can help your children by buying them special kind of headphones
that lower down the risk of hearing loss (of course, along with following the
previously mentioned advice).

Buy
full-size ANC headphones

Full-size
headphones go around your ears and they don’t cut the airflow like earbuds do.
They don’t go directly into your ear canal so there is some space between the
earcups and your ear. If the full-size headphones support active noise cancellation at the same time, you have the right thing. Noise canceling
headphones block external noise so you won't have to turn the volume up in
order to hear your music better.

Use
bone conduction headphones

Bone conduction headphones according to Audioreputation.com are very popular among the
people who already have hearing problems. They go behind your head, stand on
your cheekbones and send sound vibrations directly to your inner ear (cochlea).
That way, the outer ear is completely bypassed, there is no risk of cutting the
airflow and getting infections and the headphones are usually much quieter than
the regular ones.